[Kenji] Curveball

Curveball


A couple of groans escape from a mound of covers on the bed.

I feel really bad for leaving her like this today. Then again, I've said that to myself for the past week while Miki has been sick. Her nose has been running consistently, just as her complaints of a sore throat and coughing fits have come in abundance. I, for some reason, haven't managed to catch what she's got, even though we do share the same bed.

It's still kind of strange, considering we aren't dating or anything like that. I've kind of been building up to asking her on a date or something over the past three months or so, as I've been living with her for around six months now, but it's certainly not as easy as it first seemed.

I mean, I do have some pretty big time feelings for her, but I'm not sure how to go about telling her. She's hinted at me a few times - I mean, at least I think she has - that she has some sort of affection for me.

But, then again, who am I to know if that's honest or not?

I could just be getting mixed signals, and after all, she probably isn't interested in me in that sort of way.

I straighten up my hair a bit as well as my collar on my shirt, smoothing my pants as I turn to head out of the bedroom. While Miki has been in bed with a cold, I've been covering her ass.

Waking up every morning, opening the bar up at around noon - it's all completely new to me. So, with her out, I've had to not only manage the bar and give our other two employees their hours, I've had to be the nightly bartender as well.

It's pretty dreadful.

I don't have a single clue how she had managed to run the place and also have time to be a bartender, but it certainly isn't easy.

Yet another agonizing moan breaks my train of thought, making me wince a bit.

"You going to be okay without me today?"

I don't really know why I ask her at this point. It's the same question I've asked for the past couple of days now, and the response is always the exact same thing: 'Yeah, I'll be okay, I promise!'

She lifts her face up from underneath the blankets, propping her back up against her headboard. Her brown skin looks awfully pale in compairson to normal, her eyes closed together tightly as she fights off an apparent surge of pain through her head.

When they finally work their way open, they look puffy and sore; almost as if she was crying. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if she had been.

Her hoarse tone slices through my train of thought.

"Come here." She pats the large open space beside her with her hand, attempting to ward off her aches for just long enough to give me a weak smile.

My hands rub together a bit, a habit I've picked up while I feel nervous. I'm not quite sure what she wants with me, but other than hugs, we've never really had any form of close contact. A low, brittle voice draws my attention to her, her eyes pleading with me.

"Please?"

I sigh in resignation and step forward, crawling into the spot next to her. As I get comfortable, my heart beating into my throat, I can't help but feel bad.

Her condition reminds me of how she must have seen me that night at the bar.

I'm caught off guard as she wraps her arms around my waist, settling her head into my chest. She's never once done this before, but I can't say I'm complaining in the slightest.

It's just very... I don't know, sudden? Not really, but I guess it feels that way because it certainly managed to catch me off guard.

She nuzzles her head into my chest, my body feeling as if it's on fire. I know what I want to tell her, but I can't fucking do it. It's so hard, as if there's a wall of concrete separating the two of us, something that I don't know if I'll ever to be able to get around.

I want this girl bad, but I can't begin to figure out why I can't get over the hump.

"You make a really nice pillow." That brings a smile to my face. It's the first time all week that she has really sounded any bit happy.

"I'm glad I can be useful for something, but listen, I've really got to get-"

"You're not going anywhere, Kenji."

What?

Is she basically commanding me to stay home with her?

"But Miki, who's going to-"

"Kenji, this is like the billionth time I've told you this: Nobody is going to run the bar. It can stay closed up for the day."

She looks up at me with sad eyes, her lip pushing out into a pout.

"Please, just stay home with me?" I can't help but wonder what the difference today is with the rest of the week. Why didn't she want me to stay home the rest of the week if she wants me to stay so terribly now?

"Why do you want me to?" She closes her eyes and enters a state of thought, seemingly trying to come up with the least embarrassing answer to my question. Her cheeks are flushed red as the silence passes.

What the hell is she going to say?

"I don't think I can tell you that. I would have asked for the other days, but we can't be closed for that long..."

God dammit. Always the same bullshit answer when I ask her something along the lines of why I matter to her so much. She's hiding something, and it's starting to really get to me.

I struggle away from her, leaving her with a look of pure sadness as I get up from the bed. She literally looks as if she could cry, which is heartbreaking, but I'm glad she hasn't seen through my little trick yet.

I have no intention of leaving.

I'm going to drag what the hell is going on with her out of her thick skull if it's the last thing I ever do.

"Give me one reason to stay. You've got one minute before I head out to the bar."

She pouts.

"Why do you have to be so mean to me? I'm the one sick and in bed here, you know!"

I grin at her. I've apparently sold my little scheme well, so all I have to do is keep the act rolling.

"Oh, I know that well enough. You have been hiding something from me, giving me that stupid 'I don't think I can tell you that' bullshit. Speak up or forever hold your peace."

Silence settles in between the two of us. She looks like she's set herself into panic mode, her eyes wide as she looks away from me, pondering what to do. All I have to do is sit back and-

"For fucks sake Kenji, have you not figured it out yet? I've tried to fucking put it on a golden pedestal for you!"

She sounds angry, setting me into a bit of a panic.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Also, what the hell is she talking about? Trying to put 'it' on a 'golden pedestal' for me? What in the world is that even supposed to mean?

Yeah, I think I need to pull back on this one.

"Miki, I'm just kidding! Don't get angry, I promise I wasn't actually-"

"I love you."

What.

My mind is sent into a jumbled mess.

Are you fucking serious right now?

What in the hell have I been thinking about? She...

She loves me?

That dude who bummed a place to stay and a job off of her for all of these months, and she 'loves me'?

I stand by the side of the bed, completely stunned. So, after all of this time, as I was afraid to admit my feelings to her, my assumptions were right: she feels exactly the same about me as I do about her.

Although, 'loving' me may be a bit over the top in reality, but it damn well conveyed her message.

"Happy now, Kenji? That's what I've been hiding from you.' She sinks down into the bed a little bit, drawing her knees up to her chin. She looks as if she isn't expecting me to return the feelings, like she just let out her deepest, darkest secret to the entire world.

Her eyes close and her cheeks continue to burn red, the only evident sound being a couple of sniffles here and there.

I couldn't tell you if it's from crying or from her being sick. Maybe it's a combination of both.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" I start to laugh a bit, her head lifting up and eyes looking a bit confused.

"What do you mean?" I start laughing at the top of my lungs. This is all just one gigantic mess, eh? She was afraid to tell me until I put her in a tough spot, even if it wasn't intended to be that way. I was so afraid to tell her that she must not have caught onto any cues or hints I gave her, even though there were quite a few put out there.

I crawl up into bed once again, wrapping my arm around her and drawing her into a hug. She releases a gentle sigh into my ear as we embrace, staying strangely close to me when I finally pull away.

"It appears you're more the man here than I."

Her eyes light up in realization, a weak smile forming on her lips.

An awkward silence falls between us for a few moments, before it's finally broken by a couple of painful sounding giggles emanating from her body. I shoot her a curious glance, to which she responds by pushing her forehead against mine.

My heart is pounding. I've never been in a situation like this before, and it's definitely bringing out some nervousness.

She cuts through my anxiety with a hushed tone.

"Are you going to kiss me or what, gaylord?" Her voice is soft and pleading, her hand finding its way to my face and gently running its way along my cheek.

Without speaking a word, I move my lips to hers, sensation exploding from every inch of my body. My head feels hot as she wraps her arms around my neck, keeping me reeled into the act, which I don't have any reservations against. My hands find their way to her hips on their own, my body feeling as if it's floating towards the sky.

Disappointingly, she pulls away, though still keeping her forehead connected to mine.

"Sorry to disappoint, darling. Don't want to get you sick or anything."

I fall back and lean against the headboard, my head spinning from the amount of emotion that has been flying through it. Miki leans her head against my chest again, almost the exact same situation as we were in just over twenty minutes ago.

Oh shit.

"Fuck, I forgot to call and tell Kimiko that we were going to be closed today..." Miki giggles at my frustration, making me a bit disappointed in myself.

"Don't worry, she'll figure it out sooner or later. Besides, you, on the other hand, are still going to be working today." I raise my eyebrow at her as she shoots me a toothy grin, one that has been non-existant for days.

"What do you mean?"

She punches me in the shoulder, leaving me rubbing it and practically unable to move it.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Idiot, you're going to be keeping your sick girlfriend company all day! Truly sounds like you're going to have your work cut out for you, huh?"

I blush at that word.

That... that 'girlfriend' word.

She wrinkles her nose up a bit, giving me an unusually shy smile.

"I-I mean, we are... you know..." Her voice trails off, avoiding repetition of the word. I think it's time for a little teasing.

"What do I know?"

"Urgh, Kenji, stop being a dick! We're boyfriend and girlfriend now... right?"

I shoot her a huge, shit-eating grin.

"I guess so."